Want an anti-ageing boost? Look no further than the latest products containing the super-hydrating hyaluronic acid, says Victoria Hall

Hyaluronic acid is one of those ingredients that is bandied about the beauty industry like its going out of fashion. It’s not. In fact, it’s just had an upgrade and your going to be seeing a lot more of it.

For those who are not entirely au fait with the skin-quenching wonder ingredient, it isn’t a traditional ‘acid’ and won’t leave you tingling or red. In fact, hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule that can retain between 500 and 1,000 times its own weight in water and your body naturally produces it. However, like most things, this slows down as we age.

Hyaluronic acid keeps your skin hydrated, plump and firm, which is why it’s used in serums and face creams. Unfortunately, the molecules used by some brands are too big to get through the skin’s layers and stay on the surface, offering only a temporary fix.

Some serums, such as The Ordinary’s, contain different sized molecules, which can provide a higher level of hydration. But until recently the only way to get the ingredient deep into your skin was by injecting it.

Up your Vitamin intake in the prettiest way possible.

Vitamins. They pretty much tick all our look-good boxes. Want smoother skin? There’s a vitamin for that. Keen to take down pigmentation and reduce the signs of ageing? Yep, there are vitamins for that, too. From A all the way to K, the clever science people have found ways to infuse vitamins into face-changing products for our daily routines. Here is one of the best out there…

SMOOTH OPERATOR Vitamin C is one of the most powerful face-freshening antioxidants around, but it’s a pricey ingredient. So The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%, £4.90, is a bargain, with a 23 per cent hit of the vitamin. Expect visible smoothing and a brighter complexion. Can be used before other skin hydrators.

IF you have eye bags, spots or even a touch of sunburn, you do not have to resort to bankbreaking highend products. No matter your skincare issue, here, CARLY HOBBS reveals how to fix your face for a fiver or less.

The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% (£4.90): That’s not a typo – this vitamin hit could not be more of a bargain. Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants out there to freshen our faces yet it’s hard to pop into products. This incredible blend manages a massive 23 per cent hit in a formula that can be used before other skincare hydrators. Expect fine lines to fade and a healthier complexion.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors (£4.90): Random name, incredible abilities. This new cult alternative to your classic moisturiser is a potent blend of amino acids, fatty acids, ceramides and hyaluronic acid – AKA Team Hydration. These work together to plump and rejuvenate skin cells on the surface and lower dermis so new cells look their best. Apply with your fingers using upward sweeps to encourage added firmness.

Regulars of my beauty column in the Telegraph magazine, are already acquainted with The Ordinary which, since its debut just 12 weeks ago, is shaping up as the beauty launch the year. Unlike other beauty companies, The Ordinary makes a virtue out of using tried and tested ingredients and being honest enough to say: “They’re great. But we won’t pretend they’re new and charge a fortune.”

This primer won’t be available for another week, but I bring it to your attention now because (a) I love it. It’s anything but ordinary and will make your make-up last longer, even slaving over Christmas lunch. (b), Ordinary products tend to acquire waiting lists. Super lightweight, it glides on like a serum, dries fast and leaves a smooth, dewy finish. tightness. No icky residue. Use it with foundation and it will last all day and behave itself beautifully by not settling into any lines or eye crinkles. In fact, what lines?

‘In this instance, the name “The Ordinary” is ironic, to say the least. Indeed, maximum efficacy and minimum cost is the brand’s edict. Offering 21 different, seriously hard-working skincare solutions, including everything from hyaluronic acid 2% to retinol 1%, our faith in beauty with integrity has been firmly restored. (And a whole number of skin sins rectified.)’

Top-drawer skincare – and all for a fiver

A new range has suddenly made superluxe ingredients affordable, says Lesley Thomas

Zillions of products cross my path yet there are very few that I feel I absolutely have to tell you about. Particularly in the youth-enhancing areas. This is because most of the products that are really effective are also really expensive. For Example, I am using an extraordinary moisturiser from Colbert MD called Retensify Firming Cream. When I put it on with the Stimulate serum from the same brand, I feel as if I’ve had a mini facelift. But will I tell everyone to go out and buy it? No, because it’s £175 and for most people that is too much (although it is at Space NK if you are oligarch or just feeling flush; the serum is £135).

Also, it’s the cheap, effective products that I find most thrilling of all. And have I got news for you: I’ve been trying out a new range called The Ordinary that seems almost too good to be true. It is brought to us by the creators of brilliant NIOD, which you’ve only heard about if you are a cosmetic nerd and you spend above-average amounts on your skincare.

This latest brand is a line-up of hi-tech serums and treatments that you normally only find in the fanciest beauty halls. Many of the products cost around a fiver. There’s a small catch and it’s that you need a fair amount of knowledge about your skin’s needs to work out which ten potions would be right for you. The names of the products are simply the key ingredients and are quite baffling. But there’s are the ones to know: for all skin over 30, effective in securing moisture and volume in ageing skin. I found little difference between this and products that are five times the price.

If you are battling acne or the blemishes it has left behind, the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (£5) is excellent for treating and fading.

There’s a retinol product (a usually pricey anti-ageing ingredient) called Retinol 1% (£5.80). Retinol boosts cell production on the top layer of the skin (sometimes that slows as you age) and this is a high concentration of it for an over-the-counter product. Two weeks of use and your skin will be smoother. I have used something similar in the past for around £70.

A helpful fact sheet on victoriahealth.com explains the products and when to use them. If you can’t be bothered with that, there’s a brilliant do-it-all serum, which tackles wrinkles, pigmentation, dehydration and sagging, called Buffet (£12.70), to be used morning and night.

Disclaimer: Information on this web site is provided for informational
purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your
physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on
this web site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing
any medication or other treatment.